Bennett
says ZANU PF still out to get him

Roy
Bennett, the MDC-T Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, says that ZANU
PF is still out to get him, despite his acquittal on Monday on charges of
plotting to overthrow the Mugabe regime.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa
after his acquittal, Bennett said although the prosecutor said he would not
appeal the ruling by the High Court, he had heard that ZANU PF Legal
Secretary Emmerson Mnangagwa wants the ruling repealed.

"You are
dealing with people who indicate left, but turn right. So I will not be
surprised whatsoever if the whole thing is not resuscitated again, if my
party decides firmly on me going into the Agricultural Ministry.

Bennett
also responded angrily to comments made by Professor Jonathan Moyo in the
state controlled Herald newspaper on Tuesday. While, castigating the MDC-T's
Nelson Chamisa for describing Bennett as an 'angel', the ZANU PF MP for
Tsholotsho went on to say: "It is absurd and reprehensible to the extreme
and this is provocative for the MDC-T to call Bennett an 'angel' when it is
common cause that he was an active member of the murderous Rhodesian
infantry during the liberation struggle."

"Just like former Nazis in
Israel are not angels, former members of the murderous Rhodesian army are
not angels but devils with no place in any government in a free Zimbabwe,"
Moyo said.

In response, Bennett said Moyo was being a 'hypocrite' who,
like many Zimbabweans, was born in Rhodesia, just like he was. "It's very
empty and very shallow people like Jonathan Moyo who swing with the wind and
go to where the money is. They are political whores. Wherever there is money
that is where they run to. One minute he is castigating and slandering ZANU
PF and Robert Mugabe, the next thing he is licking their boots in order to
put food on his table."

"On whose behalf is he speaking? Who is his
constituency? I challenge him to stand next to me and see how many people
will stand next to him. He speaks with a lone voice."

The MDC-T
official denied he was ever in the Rhodesian Infantry. He said he was a
member of the British South Africa Police and did his national service,
which he completed in 1978. He then went on to study at the agriculture
college and like everyone else, transitioned into a Zimbabwean in
1980.

He added that Moyo deliberately destroyed the media in the country;
"And it's just sad that idiots like him (Moyo) get the space in the state
media to speak."

ZANU PF has always accused the MDC-T of being
controlled by white people, like Bennett, and has since the formation of the
inclusive government relentlessly opposed his appointment as Deputy Minister
of Agriculture. Bennett believes the main reason for this opposition is
because the former ruling party does not want the 'irregularities,
corruption and theft that has taken place within the Ministry of
Agriculture' to be exposed.

He denied controlling the MDC-T saying the
party is a collective organisation. "If I am guilty of anything, I am guilty
of honesty and accountability to the electorate that have elected me and
committed to real change."

"Sadly the ZANU PF regime revels in racism
and colonial baggage, which the majority of Zimbabweans have moved on
from."

Bennett says ZANU PF still out to get himBy Violet
Gonda11 May 2010

Roy Bennett, the MDC-T Deputy Minister of
Agriculture designate, says that ZANU PF is still out to get him, despite
his acquittal on Monday on charges of plotting to overthrow the Mugabe
regime.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa after his acquittal, Bennett said
although the prosecutor said he would not appeal the ruling by the High
Court, he had heard that ZANU PF Legal Secretary Emmerson Mnangagwa wants
the ruling repealed.

"You are dealing with people who indicate left,
but turn right. So I will not be surprised whatsoever if the whole thing is
not resuscitated again, if my party decides firmly on me going into the
Agricultural Ministry.

Bennett also responded angrily to comments made by
Professor Jonathan Moyo in the state controlled Herald newspaper on Tuesday.
While, castigating the MDC-T's Nelson Chamisa for describing Bennett as an
'angel', the ZANU PF MP for Tsholotsho went on to say: "It is absurd and
reprehensible to the extreme and this is provocative for the MDC-T to call
Bennett an 'angel' when it is common cause that he was an active member of
the murderous Rhodesian infantry during the liberation
struggle."

"Just like former Nazis in Israel are not angels, former
members of the murderous Rhodesian army are not angels but devils with no
place in any government in a free Zimbabwe," Moyo said.

In response,
Bennett said Moyo was being a 'hypocrite' who, like many Zimbabweans, was
born in Rhodesia, just like he was. "It's very empty and very shallow people
like Jonathan Moyo who swing with the wind and go to where the money is.
They are political whores. Wherever there is money that is where they run
to. One minute he is castigating and slandering ZANU PF and Robert Mugabe,
the next thing he is licking their boots in order to put food on his
table."

"On whose behalf is he speaking? Who is his constituency? I
challenge him to stand next to me and see how many people will stand next to
him. He speaks with a lone voice."

The MDC-T official denied he was
ever in the Rhodesian Infantry. He said he was a member of the British South
Africa Police and did his national service, which he completed in 1978. He
then went on to study at the agriculture college and like everyone else,
transitioned into a Zimbabwean in 1980.

He added that Moyo
deliberately destroyed the media in the country; "And it's just sad that
idiots like him (Moyo) get the space in the state media to
speak."

ZANU PF has always accused the MDC-T of being controlled by
white people, like Bennett, and has since the formation of the inclusive
government relentlessly opposed his appointment as Deputy Minister of
Agriculture. Bennett believes the main reason for this opposition is because
the former ruling party does not want the 'irregularities, corruption and
theft that has taken place within the Ministry of Agriculture' to be
exposed.

He denied controlling the MDC-T saying the party is a collective
organisation. "If I am guilty of anything, I am guilty of honesty and
accountability to the electorate that have elected me and committed to real
change."

"Sadly the ZANU PF regime revels in racism and colonial
baggage, which the majority of Zimbabweans have moved on from."

Zimbabwe's
Bennett Promises To Expose Corruption

Harare,
May 11, 2010 - A top aide to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on
Tuesday that he would expose "lies, deceit and theft" in Zimbabwe after he
is sworn in as deputy agriculture minister.

Roy Bennett, a 53-year-old
former white farmer, was acquitted Monday on charges plotting to overthrow
President Robert Mugabe that had already been discredited by another
court.

"When you are dealing with people who hide in dark corners, who
kill people and murder and maim and rule by absolute fear...the biggest
thing they fear is the shining light in those dark corners and they fear
truth and honesty," Bennett told South Africa's Radio 702.

"So my
positioning as deputy minister of agriculture will open a can of worms
because I would be able to expose a lot of the lies, deceit and theft that
is taking place in Zimbabwe."

Tsvangirai's pick for deputy agriculture
minister in the fragile year-old unity government, Bennett was arrested in
February 2009 shortly before he was to be sworn in. He was accused of
funding a plot to topple Mugabe four years ago.

After his acquittal
Monday, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change called for Bennett to
take office, with his trial one of the issues threatening the unity
government.

Bennett said there had been progress in the work of the unity
government, with media, constitutional and electoral commissions in
place.

He said he had expected the trial to go on indefinitely and his
acquittal was a sign that there was pressure on Mugabe.

"I think
there is a lot of pressure and there are a lots of things happening in
Zimbabwe and continue to happen on a daily basis that one would never have
expected, my acquittal yesterday for example," he said.

"So definitely
there are pressures and definitely the process is moving forward, albeit
slowly."- Sapa-AFP

Zimbabwe
lawyers to block Bennett swearing-in as minister

Harare- Zimbabwe's state lawyers have given notice that they intend
to prevent Roy Bennett, a top white aide to Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, from being sworn in as a deputy minister after his acquittal
this week on terrorist charges, state radio reported
Tuesday.

President Robert Mugabe has refused to swear in Bennett as
deputy agriculture minister since his arrest in February last year, claiming
he was facing serious charges.

However, commentators say that the
octogenarian Mugabe has a personal dislike for the dispossessed white farmer
because of his popularity and political influence among blacks across the
country.

An official bulletin quoted a senior official in the attorney-
general's office as saying they would apply for permission to appeal against
Monday's ruling in the high court in which Judge Chinembiri Bhunu said there
was no case against Bennett and ordered his acquittal.

Legal experts
said that if Judge Bhunu grants the state the right to appeal, it could keep
the case stuck in Zimbabwe's ponderous legal system for months, if not
years.

State radio quoted the state legal official as saying that the
swearing in could not take place until the law has run its
course.

Mugabe's security officials have maintained a constant campaign
of persecution against Bennett, who is the treasurer of Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change.

He was violently evicted from his
farm in 2003, followed by a sentence of year in jail passed by parliament in
2004 for shoving one of Mugabe's ministers and his arrest and a month in
jail waiting trial on the terrorism charges.

In between, Bennett and
his family have been constantly harassed and threatened by state security
agents.

Mugabe's refusal to swear in Bennett is one of the major issues
of dispute in the power sharing-government between the MDC and ZNU(PF), that
is stalling the full implementation of the coalition
agreement.

Mugabe has also blocked a swathe of democratic reforms the new
government is obliged to carry out under the agreement.

Job
Sikhala forms new party and calls it MDC-99

Controversial former MDC MP for St Mary's, Job Sikhala, has
announced the formation of a new political party, the MDC-99. 'We will
contest the next elections and rest assured that we will beat the MDC-M
hands down. We are going to be the main opposition party after the general
elections,' Sikhala said on Tuesday.

He told us the formation of the
new party was to give the Zimbabwean electorate a 'decent and credible'
alternative at the next general elections, constitutionally due any time
after a referendum for a new constitution.

The party is spearheaded
by members who left the MDC formations led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur
Mutambara.

Sikhala said they were forced into forming the MDC-99 (the 99
denoting the year the party was formed) 'because the time has come for new
leaders of this country to summon the youth to action, to summon their
spirit, their courage and their strength to work for a better and more
peaceful Zimbabwe.'

He said the MDC-99 party will agitate for change,
freedom, respect, good governance and democracy in Zimbabwe.

'When we
formed the united MDC in 1999, we agreed specifically on ideas, values and
principals that we needed to follow. But that agenda has been forgotten by
those in the MDC formations and what we've done is retrace our footsteps
back to 1999 to start afresh,' Sikhala said.

He stated that his party,
unlike ZANU PF and the two MDC formations, will not 'run away from any
issues, discussions, debates or challenges facing the country'.

'We
have three parties that are unwilling to face the challenges of implementing
the GPA. We want to reclaim our party that had been hijacked to push for
concrete issues to be resolved,' Sikhala said.

'Our party stands for
truth in government, vision in leadership and transparency in the use of the
government's financial resources. We intend to win the hearts, minds and
votes of the Zimbabwean people by campaigning on and modeling these simple,
civic virtues.

'If you look at the unity government, I would say that
was a marriage solemnized in hell. It's just a train which does not have
destination simply meandering around the terrain in Zimbabwe,' the former MP
said.

There has been criticism over the name of the party, with critics
bemoaning the fact that there is yet another MDC party. And in many circles
this third MDC seems to have little credibility.

Police
intimidate Masvingo journalist to reveal sources

Police interrogators on Monday spent six hours trying to force
the Editor of the Masvingo Mirror, Golden Maunganidze to reveal his sources
on a story he wrote linking the Tourism Minister to the disappearance of
gifts meant for Robert Mugabe.Maunganidze told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday he was tormented by CID officers at Harare central police, as they
tried to force him to reveal the names of people who supplied him with the
information.On 6th April last month Maunganidze penned an article revealing
that hundreds of tonnes of sugar donated to Mugabe on his 86th birthday
celebrations by party activists in Masvingo province, had gone
missing.Although his name was not published in the story in the Masvingo
Mirror, Mzembi went ahead and filed charges of criminal defamation against
the editor. This forced Maunganidze to go into hiding after police
threatened him with arrest over the story.'In the story that I wrote, I
never mentioned any names; not even Walter Mzembi's. His name was only
mentioned by online publications that followed up on the story that I broke.
In fact after we published the story, senior members of ZANU PF in Masvingo
visited our offices wanting to know why we didn't expose those implicated in
the scandal. They wanted us to name him in the story,' Maunganidze
said.He added; 'I guess this is a witch hunt by Mzembi to find out who it is
from ZANU PF who is against him. But he's doing it the wrong way by using
the police to try and get that information from me. It's unfortunate that I
cannot reveal my sources; hence this is why I spent six hours under
interrogation yesterday (Monday).'I was moved from office to office;
they even threatened that they will lock me up in cells if I refuse to
divulge my sources. I was scared but I resolved that I will protect my
sources at what ever cost,' Maunganidze said. He was accompanied at the
police by his lawyer Arthur Marara.After the interrogation police indicated
they would proceed with the case by way of summons.

Chinese
soldiers hired to mine Marange diamonds

Zimbabwean military commanders are secretly dishing out work
permits to Chinese soldiers to work in the country's disputed Marange
diamond fields following a secretive memorandum of understanding with
Chinese authorities, The ZimDiaspora can exclusively reveal.

The
Chinese military's intervention in Zimbabwe's diamond mining is said to have
been facilitated by Army Commander General Constantine Chiwenga during his
numerous trips to the Far East. He is believed to have struck a mining deal
with senior Chinese military officials with President Mugabe's
approval.

Marange diamonds have been globally labelled 'blood
diamonds' due to the senseless butchering of civilians by the army and
police.

The idea of hiring members of the Chinese army in mining
Zimbabwe's diamonds stems from relentless squabbles among politicians and
interested parties over the Marange diamonds. Gen Chiwenga believes that
with the disciplined Chinese army, mined diamonds will be easily controlled
for his benefit and those close to President Mugabe.

Investigations
by our news crew revealed that several other Chinese nationals most of whom
are in the military having already been issued with military work permits
and were now based at Marange diamonds fields.

"Yes,Chinese nationals,
particularly those from the army or with links are being issued with permits
to mine diamonds in Marange in exchange for supplying us with military
hardware like vehicles, guns and bomb materials." a well-informed military
source said.

The military permits ranging from six to twelve months are
being processed directly from the army headquarters at Defence House,
instead of Immigration departments, a secret document seen by our news crew
revealed.

It has also been confirmed that Zimbabwe, whose foreign
currency reserves are at its lowest, also barter diamonds for weapons with
Chinese defence industries.

During our weeklong investigation, we
found out that Chinese are deployed into Marange Diamond mine in groups of
five to ten people as a means of monitoring their work. The immigrants use
equipment from Zimbabwe's army and a company known as Mbada
holdings.

According to the secret document the first group to sign an MOU
with Zimbabwe army is led by one Mr. Zhang Hui while the other members are;
Messrs Jiang Zhaoyao, Zhang Shibin, Cheng Qins and Deng Hongyan.

The
group was then allowed to mine under Zimbabwe's military watchful
eye.

The disputed Marange diamond fields were initially owned by Africa
Consolidated Resources before the government of Zimbabwe decided to grab the
fields.

The Zimbabwe government has been condemned by various groups
over the involvement of the army in the fields.

The fields have been
marred by controversy as companies such as New Reclaim, Mbada and ZMDC have
been mining the fields under the watchful eye of the army.

This development comes after
Chagwedera who was allocated the farm through the controversial land reform
and has an offer letter he acquired in 2007, last week threatened the Theron
family to vacate the farm.

In his judgement Justice Joseph Musakwa said
Chagwedera should vacate the farm without disturbing the Theron
family.

"The respondent (Chagwedera)and all other persons acting through
him be and hereby interdicted from summarily entering upon or remaining on
Friedenthal farm situated in Beatrice or in any way threatening or
interfering with normal business and farming operations of the applicant,his
relatives,invitees,and family members,"reads part of the judgment passed by
Justice Musakwa at the weekend.

Chagwedera had through ZBC news said
Theron(insert) was resisting the land reform."CFU President is
vandalizing farm property in a move aimed at sabotaging my farming
activities.He has infested crocodiles at the farm,and if he continues with
this behaviour i am going to take legal action against him,"he told ZBC
news.

CFU President Deon Theron who together with his 80 year old mother
reside at the farm said that given compensation for the developments made at
the farm they were prepared to vacate.

"Its unfortunate that we
(white commercial farmers)are being portrayed as the bad people while those
people are defying the laws of the land.In this case there is a High court
ruling ordering Chagwedera to move from our farm,but we are being reported
as saboteurs,"said Theron.

News
reports quoted Biti as saying that although foreign travel is restricted due
to the shortage of funds, some ministers continue to go on such trips
without approval of the Cabine

Gibbs Dube | Washington 10 May
2010

Members of Zimbabwe's Cabinet have spent some US$30 million over
the past six months on what Finance Minister Tendai Biti says have been
unnecessary and at times unapproved foreign trips.

News reports
quoted Biti as saying that although foreign travel is restricted due to the
shortage of funds, some ministers continue to go on such trips without
approval of the Cabinet.

Biti has threatened to expose such ministers. He
said the government has failed to control such trips leading him to seek the
intervention of the three unity government principals in the
matter.

Economic commentator Masimba Kuchera told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Gibbs Dube that President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara should lead by example as one or
another of them is always on such a trip accompanied by a large
entourage.

"The unity government principals should desist from going on
such trips and also ensure that cabinet ministers who travel outside the
country can do so when they have tangible business they can bring to
Zimbabweans," he said.

Outrage
as Zim refugee camp in South Africa faces closure

There has been an angry response to plans by South African officials
to shut a refugee camp in the Western Camp, which is still home to many
hundreds of displaced Zimbabwean nationals.

More than five months
ago, about two thousand Zimbabweans were forced to flee their local
communities near the farming town of De Doorns, after South African
residents threatened them with violence, accusing the foreigners of stealing
their jobs. The locals burned down and destroyed shacks belonging to the
foreigners in informal settlements in the area, who in turn fled to the
local town, where a refugee camp was set up as a temporary measure on a
sports field.

But out of sight has not been out of mind and the
xenophobic tensions have continued to simmer, with local residents still
issuing threats against the Zimbabweans. Earlier this year, local community
leaders threatened to 'braai' foreigners if they came back, clearly stating
that they were not welcome. The Zimbabweans in the meantime have been left,
seemingly forgotten, in a camp that has drastically deteriorated, with
little access to food or clean water.

When the camps close at the end
of the month the Zimbabweans are now expected to be reintegrated into the
same communities that they were forced to flee. Breede Valley Mayor, Charles
Ntsomi, told a media conference in Cape Town last week that they wanted the
camp shut before the start of the football world cup kick off in South
Africa in June. He said it was vital to reintegrate the occupants at the
camp saying "South African law does not allow" the camps to continue. But he
referred to the imminent start of the football tournament as the "crux of
the matter," saying: "We don't want to see people in camps during the World
Cup."

Braam Hanekom from the refugee rights group PASSOP, told SW Radio
Africa on Tuesday that he is "shocked and appalled" by the plan to close the
camp, calling it "illegal and impossible."

"The displaced have
suffered great emotional distress and much financial loss, thus many lack
the confidence to reintegrate and the ability, means and resources to
relocate or repatriate. It is unacceptable and an attempt by government to
intimidate them into leaving," Hanekom said.

He added: "Provincial
government should take responsibility to ensure the safety of the displaced
and ensure that they are provided with basic assistance before any closure
is considered."

Hanekom explained that only the courts have the legal
authority to order an eviction of such a nature, adding that the matter will
be taken to the courts if the local government "continues down this path."
Hanekom said the camp has become an 'embarrassment' for the government so
close to the World Cup, but emphasised that "closing the camp for the sake
of the tourists will not make this problem go away." He added that there are
still fears of 'clean up campaigns' ahead of the tournament, with refugees
being rounded up and removed by police countrywide.

"What we've found
now is that Zimbabweans in particular would rather return to Zimbabwe than
stay in South Africa, because of fears of what will happen when the football
is finished," Hanekom said.

Zimbabwe
to export electricity to SA for World Cup

Zimbabweans have reacted with outrage to press reports that the
country is planning to export 300 megawatts of electricity to South Africa
for the duration of the World Cup. According to a report by the ZimOnline
news agency a source at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA)
confirmed a deal had already been agreed, to sell electricity to South
Africa's power utility company Eskom during the days of the football
tournament, 11th June to 11th July.

It's not clear how a country
battling, and failing to meet domestic consumption can afford to export
electricity to its neighbour. Power cuts are a permanent feature of life in
Zimbabwe as the 1100 megawatts of electricity produced at the Hwange
(thermal) and Kariba (hydro) power plants fail to meet the peak consumption
of 2000 megawatts. The country imports up to 500 megawatts from Mozambique
and Zambia in an effort to meet demand.

The deal to export electricity
will also come during the winter months, where demand is always high due to
heating requirements. Even before reports on the export deal most
Zimbabweans were already worried they wouldn't be able to watch live
broadcasts of the World Cup, owing to persistent power cuts.

Efforts
to get comment from ZESA officials and the Energy Minister Elias Mudzuri
were in vain.

Referendum
on Revised Zimbabwe Constitution Expected Early Next Year

Deputy
Co-Chairperson Gladys Dube-Gombami of the Parliamentary Select Committee on
Constitutional Revision said the outreach process is expected to unfold in
June-July followed by drafting in August and September

Sithandekile
Mhlanga | Washington 10 May 2010

Though Zimbabwe's constitutional
revision process is six months behind schedule, a referendum approving the
new basic document could be held in early 2011, a senior official managing
the process said Monday.

Deputy Co-Chairperson Gladys Dube-Gombami of the
Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Revision said the outreach
process is expected to unfold in June-July followed by drafting in August
and September.

A second round of stakeholders meetings are expected to be
held in November-December with a national referendum on the finished
document to be held early next year.

Gombami said the committee has
solicited tenders for visual and audio equipment to be used in the outreach
program, noting that officials of the United Nations Development Program, a
lead donor funding the process, was not happy with how funds were used and
will now purchase such equipment based on the committee's
requirements.

Gombami told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga
that the committee has $6 million in its coffers for the outreach phase -
but an additional $2,5 million will be needed to complete it.

Zim
faces 500 000t cereal deficit: WFP

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe is facing a cereal deficit of 459 000
metric tones, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a new report released
Monday.

The WFP said in a crop and livestock assessment report that 20
out of the country's 62 districts had failed to produce enough food to meet
consumption requirements, adding that a new survey was underway to determine
the exact food deficits at household level.

"The Crop and Livestock
Assessment indicates that 20 rural districts did not produce enough to meet
their rural population requirements," the report said.

The global
food relief agency that has been at the forefront of efforts to feed
Zimbabweans after successive poor harvests over the past decade said the
worst affected areas were the traditionally hunger-prone provinces of
Matabeleland South and Masvingo as well as the eastern Manicaland
province.

The WFP said more precise data showing exact food deficits in
particular districts and the extent of hunger vulnerability at household
level will be available on completion next month of a rural livelihood
assessment exercise that is underway.

"The livelihood assessment is
currently underway. It will be collecting information at house, community
and district level. Results of the assessment will determine areas of
deficits within the districts and the extent of food insecurity within the
household level. Results are expected at the end of June 2010," the WFP
said.

Critics blame Zimbabwe 's food crisis directly on President Robert
Mugabe's haphazard and often violent fast-track land reform exercise that
displaced established white commercial farmers and replaced them with either
incompetent or inadequately funded black farmers.

Food production
plunged by about 60 percent as a result while chaos in the agriculture
sector because of farm seizures that began in 2000 also hit hard Zimbabwe's
once impressive manufacturing sector that had depended on a robust farming
sector for orders and inputs.

While violence has continued on white-held
commercial farms in some parts of the country, the economy has, however,
shown signs of recovery since Mugabe last year formed a unity government
with former opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.However, the coalition government will still look to
international relief agencies to step in with food aid because it does not
have cash to pay for imports. - ZimOnline

Bennett
acquittal an indictment against AG's office: MDC

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party on
Monday said acquittal of its treasurer Roy Bennett in a high profile treason
trial was an indictment against the Attorney General's (AG) office for
wasting taxpayers' money through selective application of the law in order
to persecute the former opposition party's members.

High Court judge
Chinembiri Bhunu yesterday found Bennett, whose trial has strained Harare's
coalition government, not guilty of the two charges he was facing - illegal
possession of weapons of war and plotting treason - at the close of the
state's case and upheld the MDC treasurer general's application for
discharge.

"His (Bennett) acquittal is also an indictment on the person
and office of the Attorney General who has wasted the taxpayer's money in
besmirching and persecuting an innocent Zimbabwean," the MDC said in a
statement.

The MDC, which last year formed a power-sharing government
with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party, says AG Johannes Tomana has
used his powers to target its activists and officials for prosecution, and
cites as proof the fact that none of its members who have been brought to
court by Tomana on various charges have ever been found guilty.

The
party said: "We have never believed in the politics of violent regime
change. We have always been agents and disciples of peaceful, non-violent
and democratic means and processes of regime change.

"It is no wonder
that the so-called terrorism charges against Hon Bennett have failed to
stick, just as similar charges against several MDC activists have continued
to crumble like a deck of cards over the past 10 years."

The MDC last
February lodged a formal complaint with the committee that oversees
implementation of Harare's power-sharing agreement - Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee (JOMIC) - about the "unjustified arrests and
harassment" of its officials and supporters by state security agents saying,
they violated the "letter and spirit" of the global political agreement
(GPA) that gave birth to the Harare coalition.

The MDC said Bennett's
acquittal meant he should be sworn in as deputy minister of
agriculture.

Mugabe had refused to swear in Bennett until he was cleared
of the criminal charges. But the veteran leader had also said he would swear
in the MDC treasurer as soon as he was declared innocent of
treason.

No comment could be obtained from Mugabe's spokesperson George
Charamba on when Bennett could be sworn in.

The case against Bennett
had stemmed from allegations of a plot to topple the southern African
country's long-time ruler, Mugabe in 2006.

The state alleged that Bennett
gave money to gun dealer Peter Michael Hitschmann for use to buy weapons to
be used to assassinate Mugabe.

Prosecutors alleged that Hitschmann
implicated Bennett in 2006 when he was arrested after being found in
possession of firearms - claims the gun-dealer has denied saying he was
tortured into making confessions implicating the MDC politician during
interrogation at a military barracks near the eastern border city of
Mutare.

Bennett, Tsvangirai's choice for deputy agriculture minister, was
arrested in February 2009, shortly before he was to be sworn in, over the
terror charges.

Meanwhile Tsvangirai, who is in the United States
(US) where he was due to receive an award from the National Democratic
Institute (NDI), yesterday congratulated Bennett on his acquittal saying
that he had always believed that his close aide was innocent and that the
charges against the MDC treasurer general were trumped up.

"The
president (Tsvangirai) said to me 'makorokoto' (congratulations) and he told
me that he had always known that I'm innocent," said Bennett. He did not
however say whether Tsvangirai said anything about when Bennett would be
sworn as deputy agriculture minister. - ZimOnline

President Barack Obama's administration has groped for
ways to help Zimbabweans without bolstering their powerful president Robert
Mugabe, who is seen as resisting change despite sharing power with his
reform-minded premier.

"The secretary and prime minister discussed
how we can best assist the people of Zimbabwe and foster greater democratic
reform and political opening in Zimbabwe," Clinton's spokesman Philip
Crowley told reporters.

"The United States continues to be the single
largest donor of humanitarian aid and health assistance to the people of
Zimbabwe. Last year, the United States funded over 300 million dollars in
assistance programs," Crowley said.

The meeting in Washington
occurred after a Zimbabwean judge acquitted Roy Bennett, a top Tsvangirai
aide, in an alleged plot to topple Mugabe, ending a trial that had
threatened the fragile unity government.

"Well it's good news, it's very
positive," Tsvangirai told reporters as he and Clinton posed for the cameras
before holding private talks.

"As I've always said he's not being
prosecuted, he's being persecuted. I hope that the persecution has ended,"
said Tsvangirai.

"Obviously, obviously, there's more to do," the premier
said when asked if other steps had to be taken to shore up the fragile unity
government.

Bennett, a white farmer, was arrested last year shortly
before he was due to be sworn in as deputy agriculture
minister.

Since the setting up of the power-sharing agreement in February
last year, Tsvangirai and Mugabe have failed to implement terms of the deal
which include the appointments of senior government officials.

In
Harare last week, Tsvangirai called for a speedy resolution of major
disagreements over Bennett's case, as well as provincial governors, attorney
general, Reserve Bank, security sector reform and ministerial
portfolios.

Clinton said: "I'm delighted to welcome the prime minister
back to Washington. We had very productive meetings last time when he was
here.

"We continue to support the efforts for reform and positive changes
inside Zimbabwe. And of course the prime minister has played a major role in
attempting to move his country on the right path."

In June last year,
during a visit by Tsvangirai, Obama announced 73 million dollars in aid
which the Zimbabwean premier said would develop basic services, such as
rebuilding water and sanitation systems, hospitals and
schools.

Previous aid had focused on immediate humanitarian
needs.

Obama, citing concern "about consolidating democracy, human rights
and rule of law," cautioned that the aid will go to the Zimbabwean people
rather than to a government where Tsvangirai shares power uneasily with
Mugabe.

The prime minister's warm welcome here this year and last
contrasts with the international chill towards Mugabe.

Both the
European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze
on Mugabe, his wife and inner circle in protest at controversial elections
and alleged human rights abuses by his government.

US shows no
sign of lifting Zimbabwe sanctions

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Zimbabwe's reform-minded Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday urged the United States to recognize
that Zimbawe has made progress toward democracy as he appeared to suggest it
ease sanctions.

But there was no sign US President Barack Obama's
administration would ease sanctions targeted at President Robert Mugabe and
his loyalists, the people with whom Tsvangirai has shared power uneasily for
more than a year.

The United States -- along with the European Union --
maintains a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe, his wife and inner circle
in protest at controversial elections and alleged human rights abuses by his
government.

In an interview with AFP and another journalist, Tsvangirai
appeared to make the case for at least an easing of US sanctions when he
visited Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.

He came "to update her on the latest situation in the country in
terms of where the bottlenecks are, where progress has been made, and what
the United States should do," the premier said.

"There should be a
recognition (by Washington) that there is progress, but (perception of) that
progress may not be sufficient to convince the American government,"
Tsvangirai said, referring to efforts to lift the sanctions.

He said he
told her: "It's for you (the United States) to judge us on the basis of what
has been done on the ground, not the perception of Mugabe. Mugabe is the
past. We're talking about the future of the country..."

The reality, he
said, is that Mugabe agreed last month to set up commissions to open
newspapers, establish a new independent electoral commission, draft a new
constitution and create a national healing program.

"Surely that is
sufficient confirmation of (Mugabe's) commitment to reform," he
said.

He said that under article four of the global political agreement,
which led to the power-sharing arrangement in February last year, the
sanctions should be lifted when certain political conditions are
met.

But he stopped short of calling for such a move.

"I can't
decide that (a lifting). That is a sovereign right of the American
government," Tsvangirai said.

The administration appeared circumspect
about the premier's visit.

"The secretary and prime minister discussed
how we can best assist the people of Zimbabwe and foster greater democratic
reform and political opening in Zimbabwe," Clinton's spokesman Philip
Crowley told reporters.

A State Department official told AFP on the
condition of anonymity that Tsvangirai has been campaigning for an easing of
sanctions even though basic parts of the power-sharing agreement "have not
been fulfilled" by Mugabe.

Mugabe has argued for easing sanctions in
exchange for simply talking about rather than actually making Tsvangirai's
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) "a full-fledged partner" in
the government, the official said.

"Unfortunately, Tsvangirai and some
members of the MDC seem to buy that argument and are willing to go out and
engage in this campaign to get the sanctions eased," the official
said.

"We (the United States) cannot do that," he
concluded.

Tsvangirai earlier welcomed as "very positive" a Zimbabwean
judge's acquittal of Roy Bennett, a top aide, in an alleged plot to topple
Mugabe, ending a trial that had threatened the fragile unity
government.

Bennett, a white farmer, was arrested last year shortly
before he was due to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister.

But
the premier acknowledged other steps had to be taken to shore up the fragile
unity government.

In Harare last week, for example, Tsvangirai called for
a speedy resolution of major disagreements over key appointments as well as
security sector reform.

Clinton welcomed Tsvangirai's return to
Washington, after a trip in June here last year in which Obama pledged 73
million dollars in aid to Zimbawe to develop basic services like water and
sanitation -- on top of humanitarian aid.

"We continue to support the
efforts for reform and positive changes inside Zimbabwe. And of course the
prime minister has played a major role in attempting to move his country on
the right path," Clinton said.

Police
disrupt MDC musician’s show

MASVINGO – Heavily armed police officers stormed Mucheke hall in
Masvingo over the weekend, sending revellers scampering for cover after they
declared that the musical show in which MDC-T legislator Paul Madzore was
scheduled to perform was illegal and in defiance of a court
order.

Police, some armed with AK 47 rifles and others on horse back and
all accompanied by the police dog section descended stormed Mucheke Hall and
send revellers running in all directions just minutes before the arrival of
Madzore and his Mhenyamauro Band.

Madzore and his band had obtained a
court order to perform at the musical show after police initially had
refused to grand the band permission to perform.

Masvingo magistrate
Timeon Makunde had granted an order by Madzore to perform at the musical
function after the officer commanding Masvingo District, Chief
Superintendent Joseph Nyapfuri, had banned the event.

Armed with a court
order the Mhenyamauro Band thought all was well but little did members know
that the police were still adamant that the show should be
banned.

Revellers some who had paid their entry fees in advance had to
run for dear life as armed policemen chased them away.

“We had
obtained a court order and by banning the musical show the police are
actually in contempt of court”, said David Charirwe an MDC official.

“The
police had initially banned the musical show but we appealed to the court
and won”, said Charirwe. “This shows that there is not rule of law in this
country.”

UK-Zimbabweans
and the coming change

(Analysis)The only thing that we can be certain of as a
result of the UK General Election is that the question of immigration will
remain at the top of the agenda. It is one of those issues that could
detonate at any time and can tear apart even the most well constructed
electoral pacts. Throughout the campaign, arguments relating to immigration
bubbled on the surface - suggestions of amnesties and the tightening of
rules becoming more common than the usual practise of politicians kissing
babies.

The common feature of most politician's discussions on
immigration is that, whatever party they are in, they tend to miss the
point. They clearly do not understand what is going on or the
system.

We hear so much regarding the points based system and the
limitation of work permits. Great. No-one can really argue with all of this
(even though the practise leaves much to be desired). But we are talking of
small numbers of people who are, on the whole, bringing foreign revenue to
the UK. Surely we and the economy want them to come.

They talk of
capping the number of entrants. How can this be possible? By their very
definition, you cannot cap the number of asylum seekers or refugees. You
simply can't turn away a refugee on the basis that this year's cap has been
reached ("Sorry, please put up with the persecution you are suffering until
next financial year."). In any case, the number of asylum seekers is small
compared to the numbers migrating to the UK.

What all politicians pussy
foot around is that the large numbers of migrants come as husbands and
wives. They arrive in the UK with little more than a marriage certificate -
wait for two years for the probationary period and are then eligible for
benefits. It is this migration - which has no checks or balances as far as
criminal records, willingness to integrate, economic contribution or even
language skills - which is the problem area.

Compare this with the vast
majority of Zimbabweans in the UK. Most do not want to be here - they want
to return home but it is not safe to do so. Most work in the UK (even
illegally - through necessity for survival), speak the language, integrate
and are desperate to contribute to UK society whilst they must live here.
Despite this, the UK Government insists on challenging clearly legitimate
claims for asylum, forces Zimbabweans into criminality (by having to work
illegally for survival) and denies the self-worth and dignity that people
deserve. If the European Convention for Human Rights was not made for
Zimbabweans in this country, then please tell me for whom was it
invented?

I had the privilege of meeting with the Honourable Minister
Nkomo and Honourable MP Tabatha Khumalo last week in Bradford. I have to say
that I was mightily impressed by them. We had an interesting discussion
regarding what the UK Government could do to assist Zimbabweans in the UK.
After all, it was the British - as a colonial power - that hoisted Mugabe
into power in 1979. British history means that we do have some
responsibility here.

We discussed, given the fact that most Zimbabweans
want to leave the UK when they can, the possibility of the UK Government
"skilling - up" Zimbabweans to equip them with the resources, enterprise,
education and skills that could be transferred to Zimbabwe when it is safe
for them to return. By investing in the people who want to build the future,
the British Government would be fulfilling its responsibilities and,
moreover, investing in the future well-being of Zimbabwe. When Mugabe and
his henchmen go, what is better for Zimbabwe - dollars or an equipped
workforce? Surely the latter.

The problem, however, is that the
Zimbabweans have lost their voice. I say this tentatively as a
non-Zimbabwean and have no intention to offend. However, the Zimbabweans in
UK are fragmented - the MDC, ROHR, Zimbabwean Communities, One Million
Voices etc. I have met many groups and find them all to be thoroughly
wonderful, committed people. However, unless the British Government is being
lobbied, challenged and convinced of the benefits of changing its strategy
then you can expect no change at all other than the future of Zimbabweans
being kept in the hands of politicians who do not really understand what is
happening.

The time for change is, indeed, now.

Mark Taylor is the
Executive Director and Senior Advocate of The Taylor Partnership -
immigration experts and consultants - and can be contacted on 01274 744 777
or mark@thetaylorpartnership.co.uk

Mukuru
launches project to help disadvantaged musicians

Money transfer company Mukuru.com has launched a project to aid
disadvantaged musicians in Zimbabwe, by helping to sell their music online
and paying them 80 percent of the proceeds every month. Speaking to Newsreel
Mukuru's Rob Burrell, himself a musician with UK based rock band Mann
Friday, told us they decided a year ago to do something for the community,
as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Under 'Mukuru
Music' grassroots musicians scouted out by the company are recorded in their
rural setting, using a remote studio. The songs from these recordings are
then sold online on the Mukuru.com website. Eighty percent of the money from
each track is then forwarded to the artist, via Mukuru's SMS-Cash system.
Burrell said 'every time you buy a song from Mukuru Music, you impact
greatly on the day to day struggle these artists face, to make ends meet by
following their passion.' The other 20 percent of the proceeds will be used
to make Mukuru Music self financing in the long run.

The initial pilot
scheme is helping out artists like Adam Chisvo, Calisto and the Superstars,
Ebony Sheik, Fungai Chisakuwana, Nheketo Mbira Crew, Paradzai Tembo, Rodger
Mbambo, Too Open, True Sacrifice and M.A.Z. The project is being made
possible with the help of sound engineer Jerry Parsons and using word of
mouth they have been able to assemble the current list of musicians and
record their music. In the long run however Burrell told us they hope
musicians will be able to upload their own music onto the Mukuru website,
for people to listen to, and hopefully buy.

HOT SEAT: Mutambara clarifies his position on elections

VIOLET GONDA : My guest on the programme Hot Seat
is Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who maintains Zimbabwe is not ready
for elections in 2011. He is being accused of trying to prolong his stay in
government after he contradicted statements by both ZANU PF and MDC -T, who
insist elections should be held next year. First Professor Mutambara talks about
the death of four of his colleagues in the MDC -M, including Secretary for Lands
and deputy spokesperson Renson Gasela, who were killed recently in a road
accident, tragic deaths that have further exposed the conditions of our roads
and the breakdown of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.

ARTHUR MUTAMBARA: You know the
death of Gasela was a major loss to our party and to the country. Gasela was
such a person who was so talented in his field of agriculture. He was such a
unifier who was respected across the political divide – ZANU PF, MDC -T and our
party were all very respectful of Gasela – that is the nature of the person of
Gasela. In terms of his skills, even in Cabinet, although he was not a member of
Cabinet, our discussions on agriculture, and our discussions on the drought were
influenced by Gasela’s thinking and Gasela’s wisdom. For example there’s an idea
he’s been pushing for a two-year budget plan for agriculture, where you plan for
two years, you raise your resources and inputs for two years so that you have a
two-year roll over budget for agriculture. It was a Gasela idea I took to
Cabinet and which Made, the Minister for Agriculture is going to use. That was
the nature of the influence and ability of Gasela. It was a major loss to us as
a Party, a major loss to the country. And also as you know we lost another two
people Lyson Mlambo and Mai Gumbo so it was a major disaster but we soldier on
and say rest in peace Gasela, rest in peace Gumbo, and rest in peace Mlambo. We
should continue with the struggle to unite the people of Zimbabwe , we must
continue with the struggle to bring about an economic dispensation that improves
the quality of the lives of the people of Zimbabwe . That is what Gasela would
have wanted and that is what we are going to continue to push for in our
country.

GONDA : Many people we have talked to have also said that Mr
Gasela was respected across the party divide and going with what you have just
said just now that we must continue the struggle to unite the people of
Zimbabwe, many have also been saying that judging from what they saw at the
funerals of Gasela and others that, most of your supporters, even from the
Tsvangirai led MDC , they attended these funerals and some people are saying
isn’t it time that the two MDC formations joined forces and reunited because
they feel that together you’ve got a stronger chance of bringing about a
democratic Zimbabwe? How do you respond to those people?

MUTAMBARA: We can be united without being uniform; we can be
united without belonging to one political party. Multiple political parties
create competition, multiple political parties create innovation and thinking,
so we must work together on the common objectives, we must work together to
bring about a new Zimbabwe and in doing so we can be united without being
uniform so there is a case for the different political parties to exist in our
country but we can always close ranks and work together towards a common
objective. ZAPU and ZANU were two separate political parties in the ‘70s but
they fought together and got 1980 as a result jointly so there’s nothing that
says for change to come it can only come from one political party or one
political formation. But however having said that, we are open to dialogue, we
are open to discussions to say what is the best way of emancipating the people
of Zimbabwe, what is the best way of bringing democracy to Zimbabwe, what is the
best way of creating an economic environment where the conditions of our people
are improved? So we continue to talk with our colleagues from the MDC -T, we are
working together very well in the inclusive government; we are going to continue
on the journey in which Gasela was a big and very successful soldier.

GONDA : And talking about improving the conditions for the
people in Zimbabwe, I spoke to your colleague Education Minister David
Coltart
begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting last week
about Mr Gasela’s tragic accident and he basically said that it shows the
breakdown of the rule of law on roads, where someone has had a vehicle break
down without lights and have not bothered to put warning triangles or other
warning signals. And many observers say that there are people driving with no
licenses in Zimbabwe and because of a destroyed economy, drivers don’t have
money to maintain their vehicles and the police are not enforcing traffic
regulations and the roads are also bad. Now as the Deputy Prime Minister, what
can you say about the situations on the roads where many, many people have died
in recent months?

MUTAMBARA: We need a broader and holistic approach to
this challenge. We need a broader and sophisticated analysis. One of the major
things we must do as a country is to come up with what we call an Accident
Mitigation Strategy; what are the major causes of accidents on our roads? Let us
understand those causes. What can we do to minimise the occurrence of accidents
on our roads? We need to do this and establish a National Accident Mitigation
Strategy – that’s number one effort we need to do. The second one has to be;
what is the accident response mechanism in our country? In most of these
accidents you find the police take three hours, five hours to respond, the Fire
Brigade three hours, five hours to respond – what is their argument? We have no
petrol, we’ve got no diesel, we can’t move. Why can’t we as a nation put in
resources, put in analysis, put in a strategy that says in the event of an
accident occurring on our roads, what is the response? How do we respond? How do
we capacitate the police so that they can react in ten minutes, in five minutes?
How do we capacitate the Fire Brigade to make sure they do respond timeously to
an accident? But the major project is the first one – an Accident Mitigation
Strategy that does a thorough analysis of the causes of these accidents and then
say how do we minimise, how do we eliminate, how do we make sure that the
occurrences are minimised and we must carry out these two projects as a
government and make sure that we reduce the occurrence of these problems on our
roads.

GONDA : How seriously are you as government taking this
issue? Why hasn’t there been an Accident Mitigation Strategy by now with all the
accidents that we’ve seen in Zimbabwe ?

MUTAMBARA: I think that has been an oversight on our
part and what I’m committing myself to as Deputy Prime Minister is to work with
the Minister of Transport and the entire Cabinet to see how we can put into
place these two systems – the Mitigation Plan and the Response Mechanisms. So
that we can never completely eliminate accidents but we can minimise their
occurrences, we can minimise the impact of the accident - because it’s one thing
to have an accident but another thing when people die from the accident. If
there was an effective response system in our country, most of the people are
dying on our roads could have been saved, but we are going to work on it and we
shall overcome.

GONDA : When Professor, because people who are listening to
this interview will be shocked to know that you are only thinking about it now.
Why hasn’t this been happening before?

MUTAMBARA: Well you know it’s been talked about as you know
there’s a gap between idea and implementation, there’s a gap between an idea and
execution. Some of these ideas have been thought about, plans have been worked
out but there has been a gap towards execution. So what we intend to do now is
to close that gap and say let us walk the talk, let us have an implementation
matrix so that these ideas, these philosophies are put into action. And what we
are going to do is refine the ideas, refine the strategies and execute.

GONDA : Moving on to a different issue, you were quoted last
week reiterating your position that there won’t be elections next year, in 2011,
and this is in complete contrast to what your partners in government – ZANU PF
and the Tsvangirai-led MDC are saying because they have come out saying there
will be elections held next year. So what exactly is your position?

MUTAMBARA: Let me start by saying that our party is
prepared for elections whenever they are called. If they are called this year,
if they are called next year, we are working very hard as a party to be ready.
Zvinonzi garai makagadzirira hamuzivi musi nenguva. That is our philosophy.
Having said that we are being very practical and realistic in analysing the
possibility of an election for next year. The message for Zimbabwe , the message
for political parties is very simple: Musakanganwe chezuro nehope. We are in the
inclusive government because we had problems with our election in 2008. We had
inconclusive elections, to be polite and so we were forced into this arrangement
because the results of the elections were challenged by the loser, so the key
mandate of the inclusive government is the creation of conditions for free and
fair elections. So the debate in Zimbabwe should never be – when is the next
election? – that is the wrong question. The question in Zimbabwe should be –
what is the calibre and quality of our next election? – that is the conversation
we must have and when you do that conversation you realise that it is not
possible by next year to have a new constitution adopted and have that
constitution having taken root in our society. It is difficult to achieve
national healing and carry out the media reforms we want to do, the electoral
reforms, the political reforms, the economic reforms won’t be fully completed by
next year. So we are saying that it is prudent and important for us to ensure
that we work very hard collectively to create conditions for free and fair
elections.

Now, when ZANU PF says they want elections next year, they’re grandstanding
because in any case, if you look at the polls that are out there, they will
never win a free and fair election, so what election do they want next year? So
we get very curious when people from ZANU are grandstanding on an election. On
the Tsvangirai side, they say they want an election next year and they put a
caveat – but we want peacekeeping forces. Now either you are ready for elections
or you are not and the Americans responded very interestingly, they said that is
a very foolish idea, there’ll be no peacekeepers coming to Zimbabwe , and I
quote. Now here is the position we are putting across – there’ll be no
peacekeepers coming from the UN, there’ll be no peacekeepers coming from the AU,
there’ll be no peacekeepers coming from SADC, there’ll be no peacekeepers coming
from South Africa – the only peacekeepers we are going to have in our election
are ourselves as the people of Zimbabwe. The peacekeepers we are going to have
in this country are the new constitution, national healing, media reforms,
electoral reforms, political reforms and economic reforms. If you carry out
those six things in the country, those are the peacekeepers that will allow our
free and fair elections to take place.

So when Tsvangirai and MDC -T grandstand about the elections next year and
have this caveat of saying – we want peacekeepers – it clearly shows that they
are not ready, they know the conditions next year will not allow for a free and
fair election.

So what we are simply saying is, if you force an election on the country next
year, you are having an election under June 27 2008 conditions and you know what
that means to our people. And also when you talk elections, when you are in an
election mode, you undermine the work towards a new constitution, you undermine
the work towards national healing, and you undermine the work towards electoral
reform. Why would people work on a constitution together when they are already
campaigning? Why would people concentrate on national healing when they are
already campaigning? How can people work together on electoral reforms when they
are in election mode? So we are saying the election talk is undermining the work
towards a new constitution, the election talk is undermining the work towards
national healing. We must work on that mandate for creating conditions for free
and fair elections. So all we are saying, for all intents and purposes we don’t
see the conditions being achieved by next year. Let us do the work that is
required to ensure that we can have an election where the losers of the
elections, accept the results and the democratic government which will then be
formed after a free and fair election.

GONDA : The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, ZESN, says
that this new government, your government, has made no efforts to improve
electoral conditions and many observers say that what you are saying is all talk
and no action. How do you respond to this?

MUTAMBARA: In fact the ZESN agree with me; they are saying
that not enough work has been done by government to guarantee a free and fair
election and that is exactly my story. We’ve got to do more work to make sure
that constitution is adopted and that constitution takes root in our country…

GONDA : But Professor, that’s the question that people are
asking - why is it government is doing nothing right now, you’ve been in place
for more than a year now, why is there no action?

MUTAMBARA: The word ‘nothing’ I think is too strong a word.
The issue is government is slow, the government is sluggish, government must do
more and that is why I’m saying my partners in government must stop this
nonsensical talk of elections and do reparation of the terrain, they must talk
about the constitution, they must talk about national healing, they must talk
about electoral reforms, making sure that the election in Zimbabwe, the
Electoral Commission is in action. The Zimbabwe Media Commission is in action,
the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission is in action – that is what we should be
concentrating on as opposed to pontificating about possible elections next year.
So the word nothing is too strong, a fair statement is that we are slow, we are
sluggish, and we are not focused. And I’m trying to get everyone in government
focused on the mandate of this inclusive government which is the mandate to
create conditions for free and fair elections. So that’s what I said earlier on
– the question in Zimbabwe is not when are the next elections, the question in
Zimbabwe should be what is the calibre, what is the quality of the next
elections. Remember in 2000 there was an election and we were robbed, there was
an election in ’02, the people of Zimbabwe were robbed, in ‘08 there was an
election, and the people were robbed. So the issue is not – when is the next
election – the issue is what is the calibre, what is the quality of the next
election. We must concentrate on the agenda of the conditions so that we can
achieve this by working together. When we talk elections next year, we are
getting our people agitated and our people become mobilised against each other
and you can’t carry out the constitution making process properly, you can’t do
national healing and you can’t make much progress.

GONDA : When you say the people are not focused, where is
the focus of the people in government right now?

MUTAMBARA: Well we sometimes bicker unnecessarily; sometimes
we concentrate on issues that are peripheral to the core mandate of the
inclusive government. So we hope that everyone in the inclusive government will
concentrate on the reforms of the economy, reforms of the politics, and reforms
of our society. We are slow, we are sluggish but I’m sure we will get this work
done if we put national interest before self-interest. And I must say that the
inclusive government is the only show in town and slowly but surely everyone is
now realising the importance of making it a successful framework in our country.

GONDA : The Zimbabwe Vigil in the UK says that you want the
elections delayed and not held next year because you are unelected and want to
maintain your position. How would you respond to them?

MUTAMBARA: We dismiss that with the contempt that it
deserves. That is a nonsensical position by ignorant people. As I said at the
beginning our party is ready for elections whenever they are called but we are
also realistic and practical in saying – remember the mandate of the inclusive
government, remember why the inclusive government was formed in the first place.
It was because of an inconclusive election, it was because of an election whose
results were challenged, so before we go into the next elections we must make
sure that we have created conditions under which the elections will be held and
the losers won’t challenge the outcome. The losers will congratulate the winners
and the winners will form a legitimate and democratic government in our country.
So it’s not about what we want as a party, it’s about what the people want in
the country. The people of Zimbabwe , also another dimension, they would want to
see an improvement of the conditions in the country because when you have
violence in the elections it is ordinary people who are killed and vandalised so
the people would want to make sure they are protected, they also want to see
improvements in the economy. So we are not speaking because of our fear of an
election, we are speaking because we are cognisant of the motivation and history
behind the inclusive government and we are driven by the national interest. Even
if we do not win in those elections – all we want those elections is that they
are free and fair and the winners form a legitimate and democratic government.

It’s also folly and foolish to say you are ready for an election next year
and then you talk about peacekeepers when you know they’re not coming. So all we
are saying is let us work on our peacekeepers so that when we have our elections
they are reasonably free and fair.

GONDA : So Professor, when you talk about no peacekeepers
coming from outside the country, does this also include no observers,
international observers and have you actually discussed this as government,
about the peacekeepers?

MUTAMBARA: What we are emphasising is that, you know
that if there are no reforms in the country, if there’s no new constitution in
the country, if there’s no national healing in the country and you force an
election in the country it will be an election under a ZANU PF hegemony, which
ZANU PF hegemony will not allow peacekeepers to come into the country and in any
case, the Americans responded, an American observer said no, no, the Prime
Minister is getting excited and unreasonable, there’ll be no peacekeepers. The
Americans themselves said that – it’s not practical, it’s not realistic. So we
want to emphasise that you know our country, the election in 2000, in ’02, in
’05, in ’08 there were no peacekeepers, what makes you think that you can now
have peacekeepers in ’08 without reforms? So what we are trying to say is let’s
stop the grandstanding and the pretence and say let’s work together on the
mandate of the inclusive government and create our own peacekeepers which are
much more realistic and much more within our ambit, within our control which is
a national constitution which is adopted and allowed to take root in our
country, national healing which is successful and effective, media reforms where
we have two new newspapers that are independent, three TV stations, five radio
stations – five peacekeepers who will allow for free and fair elections. The
Electoral Commission which has been formed, chaired by Mutambanengwe must carry
out the reforms that are tangible and on the ground. The Human Rights Commission
under Reg Austin must do its work and fix the terrain around human rights. The
Anti-Corruption Commission which we are going to launch very soon must do its
work. The political reforms, the economic reforms must take place and take root
in our society. These are the conditions that will allow for free and fair
elections.

That is why we are saying let us do the work first and also remember once we
start saying elections next year, how do you expect people to do national
healing? Why would people participate in national healing when they are going to
an election next year? How do people cooperate and work on the constitution
together when they are in election mode. Electioneering and election
grandstanding damages reform agenda and undermines our progress towards the
creation of conditions for free and fair elections. As a party, we are prepared
for elections if they are done tomorrow, we are building our structures, we are
ready for the election anytime but we are saying it is folly and foolish for the
opposition to be agitating for an election which they are not ready for. Ready
means there are no reforms and when Tsvangirai says he wants peacekeepers at the
elections, he is saying to you, I am not ready but he’s grandstanding when he
says he is ready for elections next year. Let us all work together and reform
our terrain. The reason we are in the inclusive government is because the
elections in ’08 were fraudulent, were problematic, and were challenged by the
losers. If we rush into another one, we are repeating the cycle within our
country.

GONDA : Now Professor, critics of the power sharing
government actually say that this is an unelected government and does not
reflect the will of the people. You have actually said in this interview that
both ZANU PF and the MDC led by Tsvangirai are not ready for elections and are
merely grandstanding when they say that they want elections next year. You have
also said that the government is slow and sluggish which critics will say this
shows that it’s not in the best interests of those in government to hold
elections as soon as possible. There is still 94% unemployment, there’s no
electricity in the country, there’s no water, and people want change. You have
groups like ZCTU and WOZA saying that there is no national healing in the eyes
of Zimbabweans, and it’s well documented that there are problems with the
constitution making process – so how long will it take to have the necessary
reforms and hold elections?

MUTAMBARA: There is nothing you have said that is new. There
is nothing that those experts have said that is original. All these matters we
are aware of. All these matters we were aware of them when we created the
inclusive government. The inclusive government, the Global Political Agreement
was a major compromise, a flawed arrangement but however unfortunately for us,
it is the only solution, the only alternative we have in the country in the
short run. Yes it’s unelected, yes it’s undemocratic – that’s why we want to
make sure the next election has integrity, the next election is free and fair so
that the government in Zimbabwe is formed by elected people who are legitimate
not an arrangement like we do have in the country…

GONDA : Yes but Professor, the question is how long…

MUTAMBARA: …listen I’ll answer that later, let us work
together to create conditions to make sure that next time around we are not
forced to negotiate power, we are not forced to come up with an arrangement
which is undemocratic. How long? There’s an upper limit, this inclusive
government cannot go beyond 2013, it is unconstitutional, the parliament elected
in 2008 and in 2013, the Presidency which is contested as in 2013, the upper
limit, the upper outward limit is 2013 but we can be able to fix the terrain, do
the work maybe in 2012, maybe even in 2011 but emphasis should be – not when is
next election? The emphasis should be what is the calibre and quality of our
next election? We must work very fast, we are very slow, we are very sluggish.
If we work very hard, maybe by the end of 2012 but whatever happens we can’t go
beyond 2013. But all the problems you are talking about we are aware of this.

We had a very interesting session in Tanzania with President Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and myself on the platform and the business community and investors
and we showcased, that look we have problems in the country but we are
determined to solve them. We explained that we are determined to own our
problems and not scapegoat or accuse foreigners, we are prepared to work towards
a fully and complete implementation of the GPA and work on the economy.
Coalition governments Violet, were never meant to be. Look at England right now
– the markets are in tatters, the markets are jittering now because of a
possibility of a hung parliament. A hung parliament will mean for example the
Labour, the Conservative party, and the Lib Dems are in the same government.
They are worried because such a government is slow and sluggish. Can you imagine
ours, our coalition government involve people who were killing and jailing each
other two years ago. Two years ago this time, I was coming out of jail in Harare
to go the World Economic Forum; Morgan Tsvangirai was running away from a
problematic run-off and hiding in the Dutch Embassy; Tendai Biti had treason
trials around his neck. Today Tendai Biti is Minister of Finance, Morgan
Tsvangirai is Prime Minister, I'm Deputy Prime Minister. This is the context in
which you must appraise the performance or lack of it of the inclusive
government. We have made mistakes, we have had failures in the inclusive
government, we are determined to solve and address our failures.

GONDA : The Research and Advocacy Unit in Zimbabwe says, as
you have also said that there has been little compliance with fundamental
aspects of the GPA relating to democracy and the rule of law but it went further
to say that the GPA is honoured more by the breech than observance and that the
current stalemate will persist until new national elections take place and it
says it is not possible to set any certain timescale for elections but it is
most likely that the timing for elections will be decided by ZANU PF
unilaterally at a moment most suitable to itself. Do you think this is going to
be a ZANU PF call - when elections should be held?

MUTAMBARA: The decision as to when the elections are
going to happen will be a collective decision of the three political parties, a
collective decision of parliament. The GPA says go and craft a new constitution,
go through a referendum, adopt the constitution in parliament and then sit down
as the leadership, as three parties and decide whether the conditions in the
country allow for free and fair elections and this is why I’m saying to you, if
you follow that process we are going to come to a situation whereby we must
address whether those six items I described to you are done. If they are not
done and we are still within 2013, we must do more work to make sure we create
the conditions for free and fair elections. It won’t be a ZANU PF decision, it
will be an inclusive government decision, it will be a decision of parliament.
When we have a violent election it’s not the leaders who die, its ordinary
people who get their heads chopped, and its ordinary people who get killed in
the rural areas. The people of Zimbabwe are sick and tired of violence and
fraudulent elections. What they want is a free and fair election and the least
we can do as leaders is to create conditions for that to happen.

GONDA : So how are you as the two MDC formations addressing
the problem of being junior partners in this coalition government because many
feel that you are allowing ZANU PF to make unilateral decisions in government?

MUTAMBARA: It’s tough Violet, it’s very tough. Remember
what we say – this was a compromise agreement, this is why it took two years
from 2007 before the elections to after the elections to negotiate this
arrangement. It was a flawed arrangement; it was biased against us, the former
opposition. It was not a walk in the park but after negotiations, after pressure
from SADC, from the AU, from the South Africans, after pressures from the
national interest we went into a compromise arrangement and in that compromise
arrangement, there are areas where ZANU PF have more influence than us, there
are areas where ZANU PF can do things without consultation. It’s a war, it’s a
war of attrition. In a coalition government such as ours, we are fighting every
day on every issue, we are slow, we are sluggish, we seek to do better. What I
can say to you is – for our own different reasons, we are determined to make it
a success. That’s why I wish you were here in Dar es Salaam where we had a
platform with the three leaders and we spoke to the investors with one voice, we
spoke to the people of the world with one voice and we are determined to work
hard to improve on our performance and be able to deliver on the promises of the
Global Political Agreement, deliver on the promises of the inclusive government.
It was never meant to be easy but we will try our best.

GONDA : And the status of the talks?

MUTAMBARA: Well where we are now Violet, we got the report
as the principals from our negotiators, they have their agreement now as
negotiators, the principals are now studying the document. Once we get back from
Dar es Salaam to Harare we will sit down as three principals and endorse those
areas where there is agreement amongst our negotiators, agree on an
implementation matrix, when is it going to be done, who is going to do it,
milestones and measures, what has been agreed is going to be put into action by
the three principals. Where there’s disagreement, we are going to find a way of
engaging each other to see whether we can find each other and find answers. If
we fail to find answers on the issues that are in disagreement, we have to agree
on a process of resolution, a mechanism of resolving those areas and that is
what we are going to do when we get back to Harare.

GONDA : But as one of the principals, can you at least tell
Zimbabweans what you have agreed upon and the critical outstanding issues?

MUTAMBARA: Yah I would love to do that Violet, but
remember we are trying to protect the integrity of the process. What I can
simply say is that the majority of matters have been agreed upon, what is
remaining is operationalising those areas. Some areas of disagreement are still
there and we need to find a way of unlocking them, the three of us, where we
fail we agree on a mechanism of resolution. I can’t go into the details of the
matters at the moment but we are going to publish the report from the
negotiators officially, we are going to publish our views and our positions when
we meet as the three principals.

But we are determined to resolve this matter and by the way, these so-called
outstanding matters are not government breaking matters. We have agreed on the
critical matters. For example, we have spent a long time talking about
elections; the creation of conditions for free and fair elections does not
depend on Roy Bennett. If Roy Bennett becomes Deputy Minister for Agriculture,
how does that make the next election free and fair? If Tomana is to leave office
today, how does that make the election next time free and fair? If Gono was to
leave office tomorrow, how does that create conditions for free and fair
elections?

I’m emphasising that, Zimbabweans, we have areas of disagreement;
Zimbabweans, we have outstanding issues. We are concerned about them, we are
going to solve them but at the same time, please pay attention to the areas of
agreement, please pay attention to the areas that will help us create conditions
for a free and fair election. We have done the Commissions, we are working on
the constitution, we are working on national healing, we are working on the
economy – these are areas of agreement. Let us emphasise areas of agreement and
de-emphasise areas of contention and disagreement.

GONDA : But Professor this is my point exactly, it’s very
difficult for Zimbabweans to concentrate on areas of agreement because they
don’t know what you have agreed on in government. One minute you hear that the
MDC does not agree with the indigenisation regulations, then the next minute you
hear ZANU PF saying ‘we are going ahead with the indigenisation policy’ – so
that’s just an example.

MUTAMBARA: Don’t mix issues, don’t mix issues, don’t mix
issues, don’t mix issues. I’ll come to the issue you’ve just raised. I was
speaking of the GPA, it’s a question of time, we’re back in Harare next week,
we’ll announce the report from the negotiators, we’ll announce areas of
agreement, we’ll announce areas of disagreement, we’ll announce mechanism of
resolution. Coming to indigenisation, there is no disagreement in government,
we’ve been very poor managers, we’ve been very poor PR persons, we’ve done poor
packaging, poor branding of this subject. We are on the same page in Cabinet. We
have had our debates. The Minister responsible is Minister Kasukuwere; he’s the
only official spokesperson of the government on this subject. When he speaks he
must speak the collective message of the government and the collective message
of the government is this one – we have come up with changes to the original
instrument and guidelines presented to the media. We are going to adopt the
changes and we are going to announce them to the world and we are going to work
better on managing and packaging this policy. Economic empowerment is not new,
it is done in India, it is done in America, it is done in South Africa.

What we’ve done is a problem of timing, it has come at a point when we are
trying to attract investors, it is come at a time when we are coming out of ten
years of stagnation of our economy, so there’s a timing problem, there’s a
packaging issue but as the government, there is no disquiet, we’ve been poor
communicators and we have managed it now, we now insisting on one spokesperson
but that spokesperson should speak the collective message of Cabinet.

And we apologise for the poor communication in the past, but today, the three
of us in Dar es Salaam were able to speak from the same page and we are going to
try and do the same back home in Zimbabwe and beyond that. And also as
Zimbabweans, we are saying let us be open minded, let us look at the Act itself,
is the Act a good law or a bad law? If it is a bad law, let us have the changes,
and we go through the process of changing the Act. If the instrument and the
guidelines are flawed, let’s look at the changes and suggestions and come up
with better guidelines and better instruments but more significantly, let us be
clever about this, let us manage it better, let us market it better, let us
package it better because our major problem right now has been the poor
communication around the subject, the politicisation of the subject. We must
rise above partisan aspirations and think about economic empowerment in a
rational, logical and economic manner.

GONDA : And as government what is the status of wages for
State workers because one minute we hear Finance Minister saying they have been
frozen and then the next minute the Prime Minister is reported saying that there
are no wage freezes? So what is happening as far as government is concerned on
this issue?

MUTAMBARA: That is another example where we say guilty
as charged. We are poor communicators, we are sending conflicting messages,
there’s no message discipline, we must get our act right, so what I’ll do is I
will not add petrol to the fire, I’ll simply say when we get back home, we’re
going to sit down in Cabinet, harmonise ourselves and make sure we communicate
the same message to our people. It is one of those areas where we have growing
pains, where we don’t seem to have mastered the notion of message discipline,
the notion of effective communication. So all I can say to you is that we are
going to address that matter in Cabinet and be able to communicate one message.
For example we can have a press conference where the Prime Minister is there,
the Minister of Finance is there and they say the same thing. This is how we are
going to manage this little misunderstanding.

GONDA : Professor Arthur Mutambara thank you very much for
participating on the programme Hot Seat.

Bennett Exonerated, Prosecutor Loses Face

11 May 2010

Comment:Zimbabwe Democracy Now

The
acquittal of Roy ''Pachedu' Bennett on all charges is a great relief and
represents a huge victory for the judiciary in Zimbabwe, and High Court judge
Chinembiri Bhunu should be congratulated. It is also a victory for the MDC, who
have stood by their embattled treasurer throughout the whole charade, sticking
to their principles in the GPA negotiations and insisting on their rights.

But
this just raises more questions:

The
Attorney-General Johannes Tomana: he insisted on prosecuting the case
personally, anticipating a kangaroo court. Will he be fired for obvious
partiality and his highly publicised, gross incompetence?

The
GPA: Will the MDC's long un-appointed provincial governors be sworn in now,
too?

Bennett himself: Will he counter-sue?

The
rule of Law: Will it continue to be applied selectively in Zimbabwe - or is this
acquittal just a bit of pre-World Cup window dressing for the benefit of the
South African government?

Applying the rule of law selectively has been standard ZanuPF procedure
for decades. A perfect example is the glaring contrast between the treatment of
Roy Bennett, a key MDC officer and favourite of the people, and that of Joseph
Mwale, a vicious CIO operative attached to the President's office.

Mwale has somehow eluded justice despite murder charges and a High Court
order to have him arrested. Mwale is charged with the gruesome murder in broad
daylight of two MDC activists, Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika at Murambinda
Growth Point, Buhera, in 2000. The police ignore the High Court order to arrest
him, seemingly aware of Mwale's unwritten Presidential immunity and status as a
political 'untouchable.'

ZanuPF clearly fears Roy Bennett, because he represents the reality of
the Zimbabwean dream of racial harmony and a progressive democracy. Bennett no
longer faces death row for treason, but he still needs to be on his guard.

He
made a bitter enemy of ZanuPF's Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, over a
long-ago scuffle in Parliament. And the monumental egos of the billionaire
cartel at the top of ZanuPF will not enjoy seeing Bennett a free
man.

But the people of Zimbabwe are partying tonight, having seen justice
prevail and another crack appear in the facade of Mugabe's 'final battle for
total control'.

Zimbabwe National Healing program makes headway with many partnerships

Zimbabwe National
Healing program makes headway with many partnerships

“There is a positive African
cultural belief that we must ‘cool off the ground after conflict’ to allow us
Zimbabweans in our families, communities and forums like this one to cool our
minds so that we can begin the painful process of articulating the differing
situations we find ourselves in, with empathy. In Shona we call this priority
Kutonhodza nyika kuti titonhodze pfungwa dzedu and in siNdebele: Ukuthoba
inhliziyo ka Zulu,” said Minister Sekai M Holland to a recent meeting to
celebrate the first anniversary of Zimbabwe’s Inclusive Government.

The meeting was organised by Mass
Public Opinion Institute and sponsored by the German Foundation Konrad
Adenauer.

“This meeting to assess results,
face the challenges and spell out the opportunities Zimbabweans have to work
together is one tool you have created to contribute tremendously to cooling the
ground. As civil society you have brought together speakers and participants
from different sectors and political affiliations to deliberate together and to
focus on our empowerment through healthy debate and exchange and how we can be
peace builders working together above all our differences,” said Minister
Holland in thanking the meeting.

She explained that the other two
co-Principals of the Organ of National Healing reconciliation and Integration,
the Chairperson, Vice-President John Nkomo, and Minister Gibson Sibanda, promote
a vision of the Organ as the bridge to take Zimbabweans from conflict through
this transition provided by the signing of the Global Political Agreement in
September 2008 to the post-conflict peaceful Zimbabwe which all dream about. The
Organ draws on a specific clause of the GPA and on then Prime Minister Mugabe’s
famous ‘Reconciliation’ speech of 1980.

“To be strong and effective every
Zimbabwean at home and abroad must articulate their views on how we together as
Zimbabweans must build the bridge to a Zimbabwe that enjoys peace,” Minister
Holland emphasised.

She requested the organisations at
the meeting to continue to include one of the co-Principals of the Organ in
their future meetings to update them on developments in the Organ’s program and
to keep the Organ in tune with what they are thinking and doing.

“As co Organ principals we listen
carefully to what Zimbabweans and our friends are saying. What we hear loud and
clear is that the process of national healing, reconciliation and integration is
long overdue, that a visible, audible and heart-felt national healing process
should be implemented urgently. The Organ’s programme for 2010 is now in place,
after we have signed an agreement with the UN Development Program. The UNDP has
supported the Organ in recruiting our consultant Rudo Chitiga who has catapulted
the Organ’s program forward already. Zimbabweans are demanding that the
constitutional process be informed by the values of a nation that is in a
healing process at all levels,” said Minister Holland.

The Organ core strategy of
implementing its programmes is through multiple partnerships, local, regional
and international to get at the heart of national healing of Zimbabweans by
Zimbabweans. The Organ works in partnerships with existing structures in
Zimbabwe and entry points, as the most effective way of reaching all sectors of
our society.

This strategy has produced good
results through grassroots-based inclusive deliberations throughout the
provinces in partnership with the newly established ‘Church and Civil Society
Coalition’, created through the National Alliance of NGOs (NANGO).

“Our first consultations with
through the Traditional Leaders and Healers organizations, led by the Chiefs
Council,” reported Minister Holland. “We visited all the Provinces to meet with
the traditional leaders who opened the Organ’s eyes and minds to the richness
and strength of the base of Zimbabwean society as kept in order by these ancient
hereditary institutions. We learned that throughout our stormy history these
have continued to deliver and maintain stability and progress in society and in
our minds, our identity”.

Another fine example was the
recent partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community
Development. Minister Olivia Muchena and her team responded positively to the
Organ’s suggestion that we partner with them in the hosting of the Monrovia 2
Colloquium to enable Zimbabwean women together to create their own local program
of emancipation and to link that into the Africa-wide and international women’s
agenda. The recent visit by Mary Robinson and her delegation of distinguished
African women was a great start as the Ministry takes its place in a partnership
with the Organ to properly develop our Zimbabwe-specific Colloquium where women
will mobilise themselves around their particular interests.

“In the past six months, in
partnership with civil society organizations at home and abroad the Organ has
conducted an intensive international campaign to take ownership and stamp
Zimbabwe’s authority on matters Zimbabwean in the international community. This
effort is also to inform our millions of Zimbabweans abroad that the GPA is real
and it has empowered Zimbabweans to make significant achievements in its short
life. This is confirmed through regular surveys with our communities around the
country at grassroots level,” said Minister Holland.

“The Organ’s message of hope is
helping our people abroad to link in more positively with our GPA programs at
home,” she said.

“The challenge we face is that
Zimbabwe is a country that has experienced conflict for a long time, and the
population has not caught up with this new era of the GPA. We must educate
Zimbabweans to understand that we are in an inclusive era where all Zimbabweans
and the international community must work together to consolidate this period.
We must develop peace building tools during this brief transition, then the
opportunity to travel together to our new Zimbabwe will be consolidated,” the
Minister argued.

Another key partnership is the
Organ’s work with academic historians and traditional leaders to have a
‘History’ Colloquium model so that Zimbabweans recognise that Zimbabwe is a
highly politicized and militarized society and has been so for generations. “We
need to find ourselves first and then our place in the community of nations in
our region as a peaceful society,” said the Minister.

“The Organ is a
confidence-building mechanism to also educate Zimbabweans that we as a people
are the masters of our own destiny. The ideas gathered from these extensive
consultations must showcase all the opportunities Zimbabweans are able to create
for themselves, wherever they are today, at home or in the diaspora. Our
confidence has been eroded to an all time low, but so much evidence shows that
we are an extremely able people,” Minister Holland said.